There are various causes of heart attacks at a young age that you should be aware of, ranging from certain health conditions, lifestyle, to family history. Knowing what causes a heart attack at a young age can help you lower your risk of having a heart attack later in life.
The cause of heart attacks at a young age is something that is increasingly being questioned lately. So far, aging is one of the risk factors that most influence a person to have a heart attack. This can be seen from heart attack patients who are generally aged 50 years and over.
However, nowadays, heart attack patients at a younger age are increasing in number. Even someone in their 20s can have a heart attack.
Causes of Heart Attack at a Young Age
The following are some of the things that can cause you to have a heart attack at a young age:
1. High blood pressure
Hypertension can occur at a young age due to unhealthy eating patterns, such as eating too many foods high in salt and high in fat. If not controlled, hypertension can cause your heart to work harder to pump blood around the body. This can cause your left ventricular heart muscle to thicken (left ventricular hypertrophy) and increase your risk of a heart attack at a young age.
2. High cholesterol
The number of fast food and processed foods that are high in saturated fat and salt in the market, coupled with a less active lifestyle makes high cholesterol not uncommon among young people today.
High cholesterol levels in the blood can cause plaque buildup on artery walls, including on the walls of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart. This can cause the blood supply to the heart to be reduced. This condition can eventually lead to heart attacks at a young age.
3. Diabetes
High blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels and nerve cells throughout the body, including those in the heart. This can cause your heart muscles to not get the blood supply they should, putting you at risk for a heart attack at a young age.
Generally, the cause of diabetes at a young age is insulin resistance. This is a condition when the body's cells response to insulin is disturbed, so that the cells cannot use blood sugar properly. This condition most often occurs in people who are obese and have an unhealthy lifestyle, such as being less active.
4. Smoking
Smoking, both active and passive, can cause you to have a heart attack at a young age. The nicotine in cigarettes can increase blood pressure, speed up the heart rate, trigger the buildup of plaque on the walls of the coronary arteries, and reduce the heart's oxygen intake. These things can ultimately increase the risk of having a heart attack at a young age.
5. Stress
Stress can happen to anyone, regardless of age. When stressed, you will tend to neglect your body's health, such as lack of sleep, lack of exercise, and eating unhealthy foods.
In addition, stress can also trigger an increase in blood pressure and lower good cholesterol which functions to maintain heart health. The combination of a lifestyle, a body condition that decreases in quality due to stress can increase the risk of having a heart attack at a young age.
6. Lifestyle and technology
The rise of social media and technology today can indirectly increase the risk of heart attacks at a young age. For example, when immersed in social media, a person can forget exercise time, and even tend to neglect time to rest.
In addition, the existence of technology, such as motorcycle taxis on line, elevator, and escalators also tend to discourage the younger generation from walking. This can trigger metabolic syndrome, which is also one of the triggers for heart attacks.
7. Genetic factors
There are many diseases that run in families, such as type 1 diabetes, thrombophilia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and antiphospholipid syndrome. All of which can put a person at a higher risk of coronary heart disease from a young age. If these diseases are not controlled, the risk of a heart attack will also increase.
Preventing Heart Attacks at a Young Age
After knowing what causes a heart attack at a young age, it's also a good idea to know how to prevent it in order to avoid the risk of having a heart attack, either at a young age or later in life.
The following are things you can do to prevent heart attacks at a young age;
- Maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
- Do exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes every day.
- Do not smoke and avoid secondhand smoke.
- Avoid excessive stress and manage stress well.
- Maintain ideal body weight.
- Control blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels regularly.
If you have a condition that is at risk of causing a heart attack at a young age as above, it's a good idea to have regular health checks with your doctor. That way, your doctor can monitor your condition and provide treatments that can lower your risk of having a heart attack.
